Barbera

As sparkling as a sunny day on the plains, this Barbera immediately exudes a zest for life without drawing attention to itself in a loud way – the name "Rossofuoco", meaning "red wine of fire", lives up to its poetic name with dignity. The grapes, organically grown, thrive on gently undulating limestone-loam soil in the Asti region. Gentle hand-harvesting, stainless steel vinification and spontaneous fermentation lend the wine clarity and vitality.

A Barbera with character and a sense of place: La Villa has been Olim Bauda's most popular wine for decades – not because it's particularly flamboyant, but because it feels so natural. No barrique, no fuss, but plenty of character. The secret lies in the balance: fruit and freshness, elegance and energy – everything is there, yet nothing overpowers. In the glass, it is a luminous ruby red with youthful violet hues. The bouquet leans towards the fresh side: sour cherry, raspberry, dried herbs, a hint of violet and a delicate mineral note. On the palate, then, comes the typical vibrancy of Asti Barbera – juicy, clearly defined, with supple tannins and a fine finish.

The vines are planted where the Piedmont slopes gently at Canelli and the Barbera grape can develop its depth. The name is reminiscent of Cesare Pavese, the great son of these hills – and his most famous work "La Luna e i Falò". Like the novel, this wine also carries a quiet melancholy, paired with expression, maturity and identity. Matured in barriques and large casks for around a year, this is a Barbera full of character and at the same time modern.

Intense ruby red with a sparkling centre. Suculé immediately shows that it wants to be more than a classic Barbera. The fragrance caresses the senses with ripe sour cherry, blackberry, rose petals and a fine hint of vanilla – a complex, inviting bouquet. Velvety and dense on the palate and perfectly balanced: juicy red fruit meets a harmonious structure, a supporting sweetness and a subtle hint of minerality on the finish. Maturation for 18 months in barriques ensures velvety depth and length. A powerful but elegantly interwoven Barbera with format and accessibility. SUPERIORE.DE

Dense ruby red in colour with a garnet-red hue. Juicy sour cherry, ripe plum and a hint of violet on the nose, accompanied by fine notes of sweet spices and subtle vanilla. Juicy and powerful on the palate, with a present but harmoniously integrated acidity that emphasises the typical character of the grape variety. The tannins are round and supple, while the medium-long finish is characterised by fruit fullness and a delicate, spicy hint. Ageing in stainless steel tanks and large wooden barrels gives the wine structure without diminishing its freshness. An authentic Barbera d'Alba that clearly shows its origins in the glass – accessible, balanced and with an elegant finish that makes you want to savour the next glass. SUPERIORE.DE

In Neive, where the hills of Barbaresco gently undulate towards the horizon, the Pola family has been running the Fontanabianca winery since 1969. What Franco Pola started back then with the first bottle of Barbaresco Bordini is continued today by his son Aldo and grandson Matteo with the same conviction: quality is only created where the wine authentically reflects the terroir. On the limestone and clay soils of the municipality of Neive, 250 metres above sea level, the autochthonous grape varieties of Piedmont thrive in a temperate climate: Nebbiolo for the great Barbaresco wines, Dolcetto for uncomplicated pleasure and Barbera for the powerful elegance that has made this variety the region's most sophisticated popular grape.

A Barbera with structure, clearly defined terroir and down-to-earth elegance: Croere grows on calcareous, white soil (marl-clay mixture), typical subsoil for finely mineralised, expressive wines with depth. The grapes come from vineyards with very low yields and are fermented traditionally with 15 days of maceration at 28–30 °C; after spontaneous malolactic fermentation, the wine matures in barriques – compact, but with finesse.

It all began with this wine. The grapes came from Grandmother Caterina's vineyard, and Grandfather wrote "La Monella" in chalk on the liveliest barrel in the cellar – the little minx. This is how Barbera was once drunk in Monferrato: young, impetuous, with that slight effervescence that tames the acidity and makes the wine the perfect everyday companion. Ten days' maceration, four months' ageing in stainless steel, then the prise de mousse in a pressure tank.

Between La Morra and Verduno, the vineyards of Rivalta tell another facet of the Ascheri story. Here, at an altitude of 350 metres, Matteo Ascheri has been cultivating the indigenous grape varieties that characterise the true face of Piedmont for generations. Barbera epitomises Matteo's unmistakable signature: purity without frills, tradition without stubbornness. Vinification follows Ascheri's tried and tested philosophy: six months of ageing in a balanced mixture of used and new oak barrels, which gives the wine structure without masking its lively fruitiness. The result is a Barbera of remarkable harmony that reflects both the elegance of the Langhe vineyards and the characteristic bite of this great Piedmontese grape variety.

"We want this land to say: Barbera. We've always thought that, ever since the first vineyards that grandfather Giuseppe left to his father Giacomo, where grapes were grown for La Monella. Then the ones between Rocchetta and Belveglio (the vineyards of Bricco dell'Uccellone), which mother Anna brought as a dowry, and the vineyards of Montebruna, which we bought and merged - and which we still look at with great pride." Familie Bologna

The grapes for Chiarlo's classic come from various vineyards in southern Asti, in particular from the Podere La Court and Montemareto vineyards in Castelnuovo Calcea, La Serra in Montaldo Scarampi and Costa delle Monache in Agliano. Le Orme is the prototype of a young, fresh red with a clean fruit flavour of plum and blackberry. On the palate, the wine is flavoured with high-toned red cherries and raspberries, framed by elegant and fine tannins with perfect acidity on the finish. A Barbera full of character that offers great drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

Giovanni Massolino sold his first wine in 1896. It was a Barbera. Since then, it has been the oldest wine of the house, the most constant link between the family and the hills of Serralunga. Four generations, one and the same variety, one and the same promise: to press the Barbera as it is. Massolino calls it "the queen of the Langa table" – and means it without irony. In the Langhe, Barbera is not the entry-level wine that you drink while waiting for Barolo. It is the wine that is opened daily, that accompanies the meal, that carries the company. On the limestone soils of Serralunga – four hectares, well exposed, low yields – it develops more character than elsewhere: more fruit, more tension, more depth. The decision to age it exclusively in steel is an attitude. No barriques, no wood notes, no cladding. 10 to 12 days of maceration at around 30 degrees, BSA, short maturation in steel, release in the spring of the following year. What is in the bottle here is Barbera in purezza.

Fiulot – simply "the boy" in the Piedmontese dialect. A name that says it all: no heaviness, no complexity at any price, but the undisguised energy of a wine that is allowed to remain entirely with its fruit. 100% Barbera from the Astigiano – hills with clayier, moister soil than the sites around Alba, ideal for this lively, aromatically open style. Maceration of five to seven days at 28°C, malolactic fermentation before winter, then stainless steel until bottling in spring.

Originating from the Piani range of hills in Ferrere/Treiso (west-facing, 250–350 metres), this Barbera combines old vines (planted in 1965/2005) and meticulous vineyard work to create a clear, characterful style. Around 15-20 days of maceration in stainless steel, followed by around 8-9 months of ageing in oak (part in barrique, the rest in large wood), then a few months of rest in the bottle.

This magnificent Barbera d'Alba was actually created simply to strike a balance between everyday enjoyment and expressiveness – and it also pays homage to Giovanni's great-great-aunt – nuanced, crisp and warm-hearted. In the glass, it glows with an intense ruby red colour. The nose delights with ripe sour cherry, raspberry and a delicate hint of violet, complemented by a touch of orange peel, toasted hazelnut and sweet spicy notes – a fragrant journey into the seductive world of the Barbera grape. On the palate, a juicy, lively fruit structure unfolds, supported by fresh, harmonious acidity and softly integrated tannins. The finish is clean, with a delicate citrus note and floral elegance. A high-quality everyday wine with character and finesse from a renowned estate. SUPERIORE.DE

Originating from a single parcel in Dogliani, facing south-west and grown on a chalky-clay medium soil, Quass Pecchenino is a concentrated Barbera signature characterised by its terroir. The vines are over 35 years old, trained in Guyot with around 5,000 vines/ha – a classic Dogliani setting that combines density, freshness and a distinctive mineral line. The first release in 1994 also makes Quass a piece of house history.

The Barbera vines for this wine are rooted in plots around Novello, partly in the renowned Ravera zone, on calcareous and clayey marl soils with good water retention. Deep ruby red in colour with a violet rim. The bouquet opens with ripe cherry, plum and blackcurrant, underpinned by violets, delicate herbal spice and a hint of liquorice. Full-bodied and harmonious on the palate, carried by juicy fruit and lively acidity that counteracts the warmth of the vintage with freshness. The tannins are soft but present and give the wine contour. Ageing for 12 months in large, used wooden barrels and a short period of maturation in the bottle round off the profile: a beautiful Barbera with a balance between fruitiness and elegance that is a true reflection of its origins. Outstanding value. SUPERIORE.DE

Barbera is the heart of everyday life in Piedmont – but anyone who knows it knows that everyday life can be demanding. Prunotto harvests it from clay and sandy soils around Alba, lets several vineyards grow together in spring and consistently does without wood. The variety should speak, not be moulded. 2024 was a wet, labour-intensive vintage. Consistent thinning out in the vineyard ensured the concentration – and the freshness that makes this Barbera so lively. Harvest at the end of September to the beginning of October, five to seven days of maceration at 28–30°C, malolactic fermentation until mid-December, then stainless steel.

Barbera is, in a sense, the backbone of Asti. More widely planted than any other grape variety in the province, a more familiar sight on every table, more accessible than the great Nebbiolo – and yet, in the best vineyards, it possesses a depth that belies any comparison with a simple everyday wine. The Bertolino family understood this from the very beginning. Le Rocchette is their proof. 100% Barbera with a yield of no more than 80 to 90 double centners per hectare. Hand-harvested in the first week of October and processed that very same evening. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. This is followed by 18 months in 25-hectolitre barrels made from French Allier oak, which lend the Barbera structure and depth without detracting from its characteristic freshness. Followed by a further six months' ageing in bottle. The 'Superiore' designation is no mere formality here.

A wonderful and completely "unplanned" wine: Paolo actually wanted to plant more Moscato vines in this small 1.5-hectare, sustainably cultivated vineyard when he recognised the quality of the Barbera grapes ripening there in 2016. Without further ado, he decided to vinify a Barbera, which he then aptly named Per Sbaglio - which means "by mistake". We congratulate him on this decision, as just 3,000 bottles are released onto the market every year.

It took seven years and 35 purchase agreements to bring together the scattered parcels of Montebruna. When they succeeded, the joy was so great that the Bolognas invited artists, poets and musicians to give voice and verse to this vineyard. "Una terra che parla" – a land that speaks – they called the project. And indeed, anyone who drinks Montebruna hears Rocchetta Tanaro speak. The vines are rooted in Braida's heartland, 100% Barbera from their own vineyards. Two weeks of maceration in temperature-controlled steel, then a year of ageing in large oak barrels – classic, without barrique dominance.

The Barbera vines for Sentieri are over 30 years old and grow at an altitude of around 300 metres on predominantly calcareous soils in the natural amphitheatre of Monleale. It is the complete opposite of an opulent, dense style. Sentieri has a wonderful Italian freshness and is 100% focussed on the primary fruit of the Barbera grape. It presents plenty of race and a personality that is elegantly restrained and very balanced. For us, this is Barbera in its purest form and here Walter Massa impressively proves that he is not only capable of top performance with the white Timorasso. And once again we are more than impressed by the excellent value of his wines. SUPERIORE.DE